HP LP2465

HP’s panel matches Dell’s in screen size, ergo-adjustability, and OSD offerings, but its port options are limited to two DVI-I (which can carry either an analog or digital signal) and four USB 2.0 ports. HP also throws in a bundled app that provides color-calibration screens for the monitor.

In terms of its DisplayMate performance, the LP2465 exhibited good white/gray and black/gray distinction, a uniform backlight, and accurate grayscale reproduction, but the screen stumbled dramatically in our speed tests.

We recently added Pixel Persistence Analyzer to our benchmark suite. This program evaluates a monitor’s pixel response performance with a stream of image patterns. Here we noticed that images moving quickly across the screen were disrupted by a persistent stutter on HP’s panel—but not on the other monitors.

Curious as to how this activity might show itself elsewhere, we fired up our game tests. When we moved through the game environments in a similar fashion, the hitch was evident, as were signs of image tearing. We explained the anomaly to HP, received a replacement monitor, and saw the exact same problem. HP engineers subsequently did their own testing, with similar results. They’re now working on a fix, so perhaps the LP2465 will be a worthy monitor in time—but for now, you should avoid it.

Month Reviewed: September 2006

+ TALENT: Good ergo adjustments, grayscale performance, and color.

- TALON: Strange hiccup in screen action leads to problems in games.